The Journey of Petunia and Harry
by JJ Rust
Summary: Return to the parallel Earth from my fanfics Walking Through Worlds and Crossing Paths.  See Harry come of age through the eyes of a loving Aunt Petunia.  Chapter Two Up.
1. Chapter 1

Petunia Dursley jiggled the doorknob for the twentieth time in the last hour. Still locked.

_But will that really keep them out?_

She knew it wouldn't. Her only hope was to keep on the move. Tomorrow they would go to another inn. And another the day after. And another and another . . .

Petunia closed her eyes and shivered. How long could she keep that up? She didn't have the money to stay at inns indefinitely. It certainly was no way to raise a young boy.

But she had made a promise to her dead sister to look after Harry.

She gripped the door handle tightly again, a lump forming in her throat. The memory of that horrible night consumed her mind. Lily and James had been hiding at their place. Petunia clearly remembered the paralyzing fear when she watched that black clad monster Voldemort come through the door and kill poor James. The shock of it froze her throat, cutting off her scream . . . until she saw Vernon, with little Dudley clutched protectively against his chest, enveloped by that damned green flash.

Her whole family was being slaughtered and she couldn't do anything to stop it.

Tears built up in Petunia's eyes as she clearly remembered Lily running toward her, Harry in her outstretched hands.

"Take Harry and go!" She had yelled.

Petunia reached out with trembling hands.

Voldemort appeared behind her sister.

"Lily!" It was all she had time to shout before a green flash filled the room.

The air turned still. Petunia couldn't believe she still lived. Even more stunning, she saw no trace of Voldemort.

Crying caught her attention. For a moment she thought it came from her, until she saw the little bundle in her dead sister's arms.

Somehow Harry survived the killing curse.

Her body convulsing with sobs, Petunia gently picked up one-year-old Harry and knelt beside Lily's body.

"My baby sister." Petunia wept and held Harry against her. "I swear to you I'll take care of Harry as if he was my own. I'll never let anything hurt him."

Petunia snapped back to the present day when she felt a tear trickle down her cheek. Ten years. Ten years since she lost her husband, son, sister and brother-in-law. At times she wondered if the pain would ever stop. Other times she didn't want it to stop, for fear she would forget those four.

"Are you all right, Auntie?"

"What?" She turned and saw a little boy with mussed black hair and glasses standing a couple meters from her.

_Damn._ She wiped her eyes and forced a smile. "Yes, sweetheart. I'm fine. What is it?"

"Can I go outside? I'm bored in here."

"Just go watch the telly."

"But there's nothing on. We've been inside since we got here."

"You can't go outside, Harry. It's not . . ." Petunia bit her lip.

"Not what?"

She racked her brain for a response, but couldn't find one.

"Aunt Petunia, what's going on? Why won't you tell me?"

She backed up against the door, her breaths quickening. Harry had always been a rather perceptive boy for his age. How long could she keep up this charade?

"It's just not safe outside."

Harry canted his head. "What do you mean not safe? What's wrong?"

"It's just not safe and you have to stay in here!" Petunia stormed past him, begging him not to ask any more questions. "Now let's just sit down and watch some telly and . . ."

The doorknob clicked. Petunia yelped as the door slowly swung open.

She reached out and grabbed Harry.

"Hey!"

Petunia ignored his protests and clutched him against her side.

"NO!!" She trembled when she saw the figure in the door.

"Wow!" Harry said in a hushed voice. "Who's that?"

The old man was dressed in long red robes. A cascading gray beard covered his face.

"Good afternoon, Petunia. It's been a long time."

Harry looked up at her. "You know him?"

Petunia said nothing. Her entire body trembled. "Go away, Dumbledore! You can't have him!"

He raised a non-threatening hand and stepped inside. The door behind him closed on its own. "Petunia. You remember the conversation we had ten years ago. When Harry is of age, he must come to Hogwarts."

"Why? Why can't you just leave him alone? Let him live a normal life?"

"It is his heritage."

"That heritage of yours cost me my family!"

Dumbledore appeared unfazed by her outburst. "How do you expect him to control his powers without proper instruction?"

"Powers?" Harry looked from Dumbledore to Petunia. "What's he talking about?"

Dumbledore sighed and looked to Petunia. "You didn't tell him?"

She said nothing, her jaw quivering uncontrollably.

"Harry." Dumbledore took a step toward him. "You are a wizard. Just like your mother and father."

"A wizard? Really? But that's just make believe."

"Are you sure about that?"

Petunia gasped when Dumbledore produced his wand. With a sharp crack the sparkling image of a dragon appeared and fluttered around the room. She held Harry even tighter.

"Wow! Did you see that, Auntie? That was fantastic!"

Petunia just stared at Dumbledore, tears rolling down her eyes. "Albus, please. He's all I have left."

"I assure you, Petunia. He will be well looked after."

"Like you looked after my baby sister and James? Or Vernon and Dudley? Voldemort may be gone, but who's to say there's not another bad wizard out there to take his place? Who's to say they won't do to Harry what that bastard did to Lily and . . ."

Petunia stopped in mid-sentence. Her heart pounded. _Oh God._

Hesitantly, she turned to Harry. Her nephew stared up at her with a confused look.

"Auntie? Did . . . did someone hurt Mum and Dad?"

Petunia just swallowed.

Dumbledore turned from her to Harry. "Harry? What happened to your parents?"

"There was a fire at our house when I was a baby. Mum and Dad died. So did my Uncle Vernon and my cousin Dudley. Aunt Petunia managed to save me."

A harsh burst of air burst from Dumbledore's nostrils. "Petunia. How could you lie to this boy about what happened to his parents? To your whole family that night?"

"I had to!" She blurted in a half-sob. "I wasn't going to let Harry know anything about your world, not after it took his parents and my husband and son!"

"You don't think he should know the truth? Know about his mother's sacrifice."

"Sacrifice?" A quizzical expression fell over Harry's face.

"Harry . . ."

"Dumbledore, no! Please!"

He ignored her. "Harry. Ten years ago an evil wizard named Lord Voldemort invaded your family's home. He killed your father, your uncle and your baby cousin. Your mother took you and tried to get away. But she was hit by a killing curse while trying to protect you. Somehow, you managed to survive because of your mother's sacrifice."

Harry's stared at the old wizard, mouth agape. Moisture reflected off his green eyes. Slowly, he faced Petunia. "Is that true, Auntie?"

She wanted to shout no. She wanted to grab Harry and run, and keep running, keep him away from the whole damn wizarding world.

Instead she reluctantly nodded.

"Why . . . why didn't you tell me?"

"I only did it to protect you, sweetheart."

"How could you lie to me like that?" Harry's voice rose. "Why would you tell me they died in an accident when they really died trying to save me?"

"I made a promise to your mother. I knelt over her dead body with you in my arms and swore to her that I would do everything to protect you. Even if . . . even if it meant lying about who you really are. Who your parents really were."

Harry took a couple steps back. His shoulders rose and fell rapidly from heavy breathing. Petunia thought the boy would break down at any moment.

Finally he looked to Dumbledore. "Where did you say I'd be going?"

"The Hogwarts School for Wizarding and Witchcraft."

Harry tightened his lips. His eyes flickered from Dumbledore to Petunia, then back to the old wizard.

"Can I go now?"

"If that is your wish."

"It is. I'll get my bags."

"Harry, no!" Petunia reached out for his shoulder. "Wait!"

Harry shrugged off her hand. "Don't touch me! You're a liar! My parents didn't die in a stupid fire. They died as heroes! Saving me! And you never told me about it!"

Petunia trembled. Her insides collapsed. "Harry, I'm sorry. I really wanted to . . ."

"Then why didn't you!? What kind of aunt are you?! I hate you and I never want to see you again!"

The world stopped for Petunia. She barely registered Harry running into his bedroom. Every emotion had been ripped out of her, turned into a cold dark mass and shoved back into her soul.

"_I hate you . . . I hate you!"_ The words played over and over in her mind.

"Petunia, I'm sorry."

She barely heard Dumbledore's voice.

"I'm sure that's just anger speaking." The old wizard's words sounded distant to her. "I'm sure he didn't mean it."

Harry dragged his bags out of the room, his face contorted by anger. He stomped past her without a word.

"Harry . . . Harry, please. I'm sorry."

He didn't acknowledge her.

"It's all right, Petunia," Dumbledore said. "I'll look after him. I'll let you know how he's doing. Please accept my apologies for any trouble I caused."

Petunia didn't say a word as Dumbledore and Harry left the room.

Her knees gave out. Petunia dropped to the floor, weeping uncontrollably. Minutes later she crawled to the coffee table and grabbed her purse. She dug out a small photo of her long-dead sister, as a teenager, her green eyes alight as she smiled.

"I'm so sorry, Lily. I failed you."

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	2. Chapter 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **_The following takes place after the events in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."_

Petunia trudged down the stairs, wondering once again how she managed to drag herself out of bed. She pulled her magenta bathrobe tighter around herself when she hit the bottom. With a sigh she turned to the fireplace and the numerous framed photos on the mantle. Her face sagged when she fixed on a picture of her with an arm around Harry's shoulder.

With another sigh she turned away from the photo and surveyed the living room. Piles of unopened mail and magazines covered chairs and tables. A fine layer of dust had settled over everything. Three years ago she would have had a heart attack had she seen her house in such a state.

Now she didn't care.

Petunia shuffled into the kitchen and checked the clock on her microwave. 11:22. She guessed she was getting better. There was a time when she would usually get out of bed around early afternoon.

She made herself some tea and put a couple biscuits in the microwave. Not much of a meal, but she didn't feel particularly hungry. In fact, Petunia never had much of an appetite since that horrible day two years ago . . . the last time she saw Harry.

The day he told her he hated her.

Petunia fell into a chair at the kitchen table. She didn't move, even when the water for her tea boiled and the microwave chirped to signal her biscuits were heated. She stared out the sliding glass door to the backyard. Would an owl come today? Dumbledore usually sent her a letter once a month to let her know how Harry was doing. It should be the end of term by now. He'd probably spend the summer with the family of that Ron Weasley boy he met last year. She hoped he'd be happy there . . . certainly more than he'd be in a house with a lying aunt he hated.

Petunia leaned her head back, images of her sister and brother-in-law floating through her head.

_Why did you have to die?_

Damn that monster Voldemort. Were it not for him Lily and James would have raised Harry. They wouldn't have kept the wizarding world a secret from him. And she would have her family. She and Vernon could play the role of doting aunt and uncle. Harry and Dudley could have grown up as best of friends.

But that would never happen. Most of her family was dead, and she alienated the one person she cared for more than anyone in the world. The one person she swore to her dead sister she would protect.

Someone knocked on the front door.

Petunia turned in her seat and stared at the door. Seconds later there was another knock.

Sighing, she rose from her chair and trudged across the living room.

She reached the door on the third knock and opened it. A young girl with an angular shining face framed by bouncy black hair stood in the doorway.

"Can I help you?"

"Mrs. Dursley?"

"Yes."

The girl gave her a warm smile. "Hello. My name is Pansy Parkinson. I'm a friend of your nephew Harry."

Petunia drew a deep breath. Her heartbeat picked up. "Yes? Is he all right?"

"Oh yes. He's fine. It's just . . . well, could I talk to you about him? Please?"

"Yes. Of course. Please, come in."

Pansy stepped in side. She glanced around the house. Her nose crinkled at the sight of the messy living room. Petunia frowned.

"I'm sorry. I haven't had a chance to clean today."

"Um, that's all right."

"Please. Sit down. Can I get you anything to drink? Tea? Lemonade?"

"Oh, no thank you. I'm fine." Pansy stared at the dusty sofa with its saggy cushions and hesitantly lowered herself into it.

Petunia sat in a chair across from her. "Now, what about Harry?"

"Well, I've known Harry since our first day at Hogwarts. He . . . he told me what happened the day Professor Dumbledore came, how you never told him he was a wizard."

Petunia closed her eyes, wondering how this total stranger was judging her.

"I've been after Harry for nearly two years to try and make up with you," Pansy continued. "It's just . . . you're his last living relative, and I just didn't think it was right for the two of you to not see each other, not even speak to one another."

"What has he said about me?"

Pansy chewed on her lower lip and shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Please, even if it's . . . please tell me."

Pansy took a breath. "He said . . . he didn't have many nice things to say about you. One time he . . . Mrs. Dursley, are you sure . . .?"

"Yes. Please tell me."

Silence hung between the two. Pansy intertwined her fingers in her lap. "He said . . . one time he said he wished it was you who'd died that night and not his mother."

An invisible knife tore into her heart. Petunia clutched the armrests. She closed her watery eyes and lowered her head.

_Maybe that's how it should have been._

"He didn't mean it, though. It was just anger. I know it. And I was furious at him for saying it. We got into such a row we didn't speak to one another for a month. But then . . . then he saved me."

"Saved you? How?"

"In the Chamber of Secrets. I was possessed by the diary of You-Know-Who, which he wrote when he was just Tom Riddle, a student at Hogwarts. We think Lucius Malfoy slipped it into my cauldron when we were at Diagon Alley. Harry and Ron found me, fought off a Basilisk and destroyed the diary. Harry . . . Harry almost died."

Petunia placed a hand over her heart and clutched her robe. Her empty stomach twisted. "Almost died? Harry? How?"

"He was bitten by the Basilisk. Their poison is almost always fatal. Luckily Professor Dumbledore's phoenix found us and used its tears to cure Harry."

Pansy took a breath and continued. "We had a long talk after that. Harry said one of the things that he thought of when the poison was killing him was that he regretted never speaking to you since the day Professor Dumbledore collected him. He said there were times he wanted to write you or come by your house, but he was afraid to."

"Why would he be afraid?"

"Because after what he said to you before he left for Hogwarts, he thought you didn't love him anymore."

"Why on earth would he think that?"

Pansy snorted. "Because sometimes Harry can be an idiot."

Petunia responded with a short laugh. She froze for a moment. She couldn't remember the last time she laughed.

"I'd so love to see him. To tell him how sorry I am. I never should have lied to him."

"He's waiting outside with my parents. I can fetch him for you."

"Oh yes." Petunia slid forward in her seat. "Yes, please."

Pansy smiled and rose from the sofa. Petunia stood, her legs quivering. Her breaths came quicker as Pansy opened the door.

"Harry. Everything's all right. Come in."

The seconds passed with agonizing slowness. Two years, two long years without seeing him. Could they make everything right again?

Petunia's hands leapt to her mouth when Harry walked in. He took a couple steps inside and stopped. They just stared at one another in silence.

_Oh my God. It's him._ He'd grown a few inches since she last saw him. His hair still had that unkempt look about it.

A sob struck her. Tears slid down her cheeks. "H-Harry," she said his name in a whisper.

"Aunt Petunia."

She drew a ragged breath when she noticed a tear running down Harry's cheek. She put a hesitant foot forward. Did he still hate her? Could they still be close like they had been?

Her fears vanished from her mind. She didn't bother controlling her sobs. Petunia practically stumbled across the dirty living room rug and extended her arms.

Harry jumped into her arms and gripped her tight. He started to bawl.

"I'm sorry, Auntie. I don't hate you. I wish I never said that. I'm so sorry."

"I forgive you." She kissed the top of his head. "I never should have lied about your parents, about your being a wizard. Your mum and dad were two of the bravest people I ever knew. They died to keep you safe. And I soiled their memories by not telling you that. Please forgive me."

They continued to hold one another and cry. Eventually Petunia looked up and saw Pansy standing by the door, her cheeks stained with tears.

"Thank you," Petunia mouthed silently.

Pansy just nodded and closed the door as she left them alone.

Petunia continued to hold Harry and allowed a smile to form on her face. For the first time in two years, everything was all right.


End file.
